Counterparts
by Skylark Evanson
Summary: A little Benlie reflection on the current Gwevin situation.


**A/N: Requested by Fairy of the Flames.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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**Counterparts**

"How do you think they're doing?" asked Julie, looking off into the distance, the moonlight glittering through the dark tinted window of her boyfriend's car. "I mean, Gwen's holding up alright, but…" Her brown eyes flitted over to her boyfriend who's knuckles had instantly turned white on the wheel as his grip tightened. The Asian couldn't help but notice.

Ben's jade eyes glinted in the darkness, betraying his own hurt at the thought of having to hurt Kevin. "They're really just in one of those places. I know Gwen's totally caught in the middle. I know she just wants to keep him close, but she knows how it is. Keeping him is…" He put one hand to his temple.

"Dangerous?" offered Julie, a sad smile touching her features. She knew what Ben was going through and she just wanted to be able to help. But it wasn't looking too good. She had seen what had happened to that guy who had owed Kevin a couple bucks. And she was afraid of him. But she didn't want to see what Ben would do to Kevin if he went any further. It scared Julie to think of her beloved hero boyfriend as a murderer.

The brunette teen nodded quietly, his hand relaxing a bit on the steering wheel. "I'm just not sure what Gwen's going to do if we actually can't fix him." He was still tense but less than before. "She'll totally crack."

The ebony haired girl just sighed. She turned her gaze out to the window again. She watched the desert roll past as the car cruised at speeds close to a hundred miles an hour. "You know, you've picked up a lot of stuff from Kevin." Julie didn't look at Ben, but she could hear the faint sound of his head swiveling to look at her. "You're speeding. You're more aggressive now." She wouldn't turn to see his expression, but she knew. She knew he would've stared at her long and hard. "You may not be able to notice it, but Gwen and I can read you like a book."

Ben just sat there in his stoned silence, grief washing over him. He would miss Kevin. He would hate to have to kill his best friend, the guy he considered to be a brother.

"The only reason you think that there's no way out is because you're narrow-minded like him too." Julie knew this would just tick off the jade-eyed Tennyson, but it didn't keep her from saying it. She loved him, but he had to see himself in the light of others. "He rubbed off on you the same way you and Gwen rubbed off on him."

"Stop."

Julie looked to Ben, eyes almost worried for him. She knew he of all people could hold his own, but she didn't want him to start snapping at her the same way Kevin would snap at Gwen. And this was how it usually started between the redhead and the ex-con.

"I don't want to hear how wrong I am anymore." His eyes were on the road and his knuckles were once more tight on the wheel, white as snow in the darkness of night. Ben's features were twisted in pain. "I'm so tired of knowing that I have to hurt him."

"Then learn from it." Julie put a hand on his shoulder, her whole body shivering as she realized she could try to change his mind right here. "Let Gwen try. She's strong enough to try to save him if he'd give her the right moment and if you'd be patient with her." The Asian American gave him a gentle smile. "Remember what happened the first time?" She had only seen him once in his mutated form, but she had always been able to sense his lack of self-esteem. "He was the impatient one about his appearances and his mutation. And now you're being impatient with him changing back. Give him a chance, Ben."

The brunette Tennyson closed his eyes, letting the car cruise over the road as they sped down to Los Soledad to shut down the Plumber's base for the night. "I want to. But he's tried to kill us more than once now and-"

"He doesn't know what he's doing."

"And I don't know what I'm doing either." Ben let the tension melt from his muscles, his arms going limp as the vehicle went into autopilot the second his pulse vanished from the steering wheel. "I don't know what's wrong with me. It's like I can't lead without my whole team here…" His eyes shut and he put his hand over Julie's that was still on his shoulder. "It's like part of it is missing and I just know it. Kevin was that missing piece of everything. With him, it was just… everything was fine when he was here. And whenever he's gone or when he's not with it, we usually have a thousand issues in fights or drama or anything."

Julie knew. She had known the whole time how greatly the dark Osmosian had affected his teammates. "He's become part of you and part of Gwen."

"I don't want him to die."

"Then give Gwen a chance." Julie leaned in towards Ben, her face getting closer to her beloved hero, eyes glimmering with hope for her best friend's insane boyfriend. "She deserves at least that, Ben."

Ben just shook his head, turning to stare into Julie's deep brown eyes that always made his heart melt. "I know she does, but it's too risky." He stroked her porcelain cheeks with one finger. "Kevin deserves another chance too, but he's getting more and more violent. I'm not even sure how much longer Gwen and I are going to be safe."

He found his forehead touching hers as she leaned in, her lips instantly going to his as if magnets secretly held them together. Ben let his fingers wrap up into her locks the same color as a raven's wing. He felt her giving into him, shivering as they came closer and closer. And when they parted, Julie was the first to speak.

"You know, we're their counterparts." She stared into his shimmering eyes, glowing the color of finely polished emeralds.

Ben just nodded quietly, unable to draw his gaze away from hers. He didn't want to wake up from this moment. It all felt like a dream. "And they'll never be able to have moments like these again, will they?"

Silently, Julie shook her head. She knew she'd never see Ben smile the same way he used to. Not if Kevin died by his hands.

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**A/N: Hope that's alright for you, Fairy! I tried not to make it death, but it's not easy… I tried. Please review.**

**~Sky**


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